This specific aircraft did not see combat in World War II because it was delivered to the military on March 29, 1945, just months before the war ended. Because the conflict was winding down, the Army Air Forces placed this brand-new bomber directly into stateside storage in Texas, and it spent the post-war years operating as a pilot trainer before being retired and later used in the 1970 Hollywood film Catch-22.
However, the distinct paint scheme on this aircraft tells a very different story. The March Field Air Museum, which is where I photographed it, painted and restored the plane to honor the 42nd Bomb Group of the 13th Air Force, which saw heavy action in the Pacific Theater. In real life, the airmen of that group used heavily armed B-25 strafers to carry out dangerous, low-level bombing runs against Japanese shipping lanes, airfields, and military installations across the Southwest Pacific, including major campaigns in New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Philippines.
